Animation and Design of Characters in After Effects
A course by Moncho Massé, Illustrator and Animator
Learn to tell stories through infinite animation loops
Interested in developing unique characters and GIFs as an effective storytelling tool for your brand or project? Illustrator and motion graphics designer Moncho Massé has extensive experience crafting these short clips using just the tools found in After Effects.
In this online course, he teaches you how to make the most of this software to create animated story loops that can easily be shared on social media.
What will you learn in this online course?
22 lessons & 5 downloads
What's included in this course?
Start by getting to know Moncho Massé, his work, and the artists and professionals that inspire him.
Not an After Effects expert? No problem. Moncho guides you through the basics of this software and the fundamentals of GIF animations.
Once you have a good understanding of the basics, it's time to create your characters! Start by learning how to design them before incorporating a simple rig to add movement and bring your illustrations to life.
Then, complete your animated loops by placing your character into two different scenarios: sitting down for a cup of coffee and riding a bike while dodging obstacles.
After you've finished your animated story, follow Moncho's tips for exporting it as a GIF and sharing it on social media.
- 99% positive reviews (708)
- 17,103 students
- 22 lessons (3h 31m)
- 5 additional resources (4 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: Spanish, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish
- Spanish · English · Portuguese · Italian · French · Turkish · German
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
Recommended software & tools for this course
Adobe After EffectsWhat is this course's project?
Tell a story in GIF format by developing your own characters and integrating them into two infinite loop animations.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Animators, designers, illustrators, and anyone interested in learning how to bring their characters to life with infinite loop animations in After Effects.
Requirements and materials
No previous knowledge of After Effects is necessary for this course as Moncho explains everything about the program from scratch.
In terms of materials, you just need a computer with After Effects, as well as Photoshop to create the final animated GIF.
New to Adobe After Effects? In that case, we recommend taking Domestika Basics courses to learn how to use the software: Introduction to After Effects.
Reviews
Moncho Massé
A course by Moncho Massé
Like a true '80s kid, Moncho grew up with his eyes glued to the screen, captivated by the creations of Toriyama, Miyazaki, Disney, and Cartoon Network, and his hands glued to his Nintendo and Sega controls. It is thanks to these influences that he developed his own personal motion graphics style.
After studying audiovisual communication and journalism at the University of Valencia, Spain, he worked as a video editor for a small agency in Amsterdam. It was there that he discovered his true passion for animation, which has led him to create motion graphics pieces for a wide range of clients and projects.
Content
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U1
Presentation
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Presentation
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Influences
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U2
Basic Knowledge
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Introduction to After Effects 1
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Introduction to After Effects 2
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Designing for the GIF format
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U3
Design and character rig
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Head design
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Rig of the head
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Rest of the body design
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Full Rig
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U4
Creating loop 1: Coffee for everyone!
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Animation of the character 1
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Animation of the character 2
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Animation of the character 3
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Animation for the 'loop'
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Final Composition
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U5
Creating loop 2: Kamikaze cyclist
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Design and animation of the bicycle
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Animation of the character riding a bike 1
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Animation of the character riding a bike 2
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Animation for the 'loop'
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Final Composition 1
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Final Composition 2
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Last details
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Export to GIF with After Effects and Photoshop
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FP
Final project
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Animation and character design in After Effects
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
You’ll learn how to create and animate characters in After Effects, design looping animated GIFs for social media, optimize and export GIF animations, and apply design and rigging techniques for characters and interactive scenes.
This course is aimed at intermediate users with basic After Effects knowledge who want to deepen their skills in character animation, GIF creation, and social media optimization.
You need basic After Effects skills, access to the software, and Photoshop for exporting GIFs. Advanced animation experience isn’t required, but you should be comfortable with the interface and fundamental concepts.
You’ll learn to design and animate characters and graphic elements in After Effects, use loops and export techniques to create animated stickers that easily integrate with apps and social media.
Yes, the course covers the full workflow to export animated GIFs, including setting resolution, color, and file size to ensure compatibility and quality on platforms like Instagram and websites.
Techniques covered include facial and body rigging, walk cycle animation, facial expressions, using keyframes, easing curves, and creating looping animations inspired by styles like Adventure Time or Disney.
The course explains how to use null objects, masks, paths, and parenting layers to animate heads and create realistic facial expressions, giving you greater control and detail in your characters.
Adobe After Effects
Muy bien explicado
Excelente curso para aprender lo básico de la animación en after effects. Muy buena la explicación
Un buen curso explica lo esencial para entender como realizar el personaje no es muy profundo en conocimientos de after
excelente curso
Excelente curso. Su forma de enseñanza paso a paso y detalladamente es una excelente estraegia para los aprendices que estamos comenzando con este programa.